South Germans

South Germans are a diverse cultural group of the German people that live in High Germany, located in the southern half of the country, and make up most of the populations of Austria, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg, with other significant presences in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. They speak High German languages such as Austrian, Bavarian, Alsatian, Franconian, Swabian, and Alemmanic.

History
The South German culture developed separately from North Germans, who spoke Lower German, while there were "High German" dialects spoken in certain southern regions. Bavaria, Franconia, Swabia, and other southern German regions, as well as the whole country of Austria, speak their own dialects of German. Compared to North Germans, they are also of different religions. Roman Catholicism is the predominant belief in South Germans, while Protestantism is the predominant North German belief. South Germans have their own styles of architecture and their own culture, with the "Oktoberfest" holiday originating in southern Germany.

During the 1800s, many of them emigrated to the United States and other western countries in hopes of avoiding religious persecution during Kulturkampf, and many sided with the Austrian Empire during their wars with Protestant Prussia to the north. South Germans continue to make up most of Wurttemberg, Bavaria, and southern Germany, having a separate way of life than those in the north.